To think there should not be a snap General Election...

[Flashbangandgone]

...after Theresa May's victory. It seems that the Lib Dems, Greens and even Labour's election coordinator think so, but surely with the UK needing stability after Brexit, Labour being in the worst possible place to be a credible opposition, and the public only recently voting (1 year in GE and weeks ago in referendum) surely it's the last thing we need. Besides, I couldn't stand another months of electioneering...

The country needs stability now, not more dicking around with a GE.

mother Cameron has made his bed. He will forever be remembered as the eejit who got us into this mess and the coward who ran away from his duty. Even worse than staying, trying and failing. No one likes a quitter.

just saying it seems a bit of a stretch of the imagination that because AL dropped out at this late stage, it should definitely be May as PM

The only alternative I can see would be to rerun the entire process. None of the candidates that was knocked out garnered enough support from MPs to give confidence that they would survive long as PM if elected. Gove was the last candidate to be knocked out. Once he was knocked out by Leadsom my view is that he did not have enough credibility with MPs to be a credible challenger to May at this stage.

I don't think the Tories would win an outright majority

Seriously? Have you seen the polls lately? And remember that a new PM always gets a bounce in the polls. With the Labour party tearing itself to pieces I think an election any time this year would see the Conservatives win an increased majority.

I don't think the Tories would win an outright majority

Yes they will. These are yesterday's intention to vote figures ("If there was a GE today, how would you vote?"). Tories on 38%, Labour on 30% and UKIP on 15%. And these are worse than they look at first glance for Labour as its vote is concentrated into much smaller areas (and therefore fewer constituencies) than the Conservative vote. 30% of votes will not translate to 30% of constituencies.

As a leave voter I think Theresa May as a 'tentative remainer' is the best choice for PM.

I've been watching a lot (far too much!) of the various politics shows recently & it's been mentioned a few times that she's 'never been someone to give titbits to journalists'; she's apparently well known for being tough & 'difficult', but pragmatic and compassionate too. She's also apparently not one for making 'deals' with other MPs and refused BoJo's requests for 'meetings' with her.

She has the opportunity now to do a clean sweep of cabinet & get the very best people for the jobs in hand - she has been a cabinet member from the off in the last 2 govts so actually knows the people around her.

As a tentative remainer she can hopefully strike the balance between leave & remain and bring both sides along with her and not leave either side feeling completely ignored or cast off.

A GE now would be a huge mistake - stability is needed now.
Those MPs calling for a GE amongst a Labour civil war, an as yet unelectable Lib Dem lot & UKIP filling the breach of disaffected from across all parties, are just self-serving and not at all interested in what is best for the country right now.

As it is, the current govt has 4 years left - enough time to get through Brexit & carry on with their existing mandate.
In 4 years the other parties should hopefully have got their acts together & the country will be ready for a GE.

Phew!
Very long post!

Oh ok then...

I know how FPTP works shiny

You said above that you do not think the Tories will win an absolute majority. I am questioning how you can possibly think that.

Are you an MP mother?

I didn't call you anything, I said MPs.

It may have been lost in what was a pretty garbled paragraph tbh.

We all can have whatever opinions we want, obviously, but I do believe that those MPs that are pushing for GE are not putting the good of the country first (my opinion).

No, it's fine honest!

It was a garbled paragraph - it's my writing skills that need work!

Are we going to have a terribly British apology fight now?!

Honestly, it's ok - I was misreading loads of stuff yesterday through a fog of being Very Pissed Off Indeed.
I was even called a 'crosspatch'

I'm struggling to see how the Tories wouldn't win a majority at the minute.

I can't see Labour being very electable at the minute with all their infighting. The Lib Dems have been pretty much invisible since the last GE. Unless you're expecting everyone who doesn't like the Tories to vote UKIP?

MNHQ - there have been the most appauling and unfounded allegations made about Theresa May on this thread - the person who made them has not justified or defended them, and they have been repeatedly quoted in order to seek clarification.

This is exactly the sort of internet conduct that the "Reclaim the Internet" campaign is trying to address - bullying, harassment and attack from behind a screen.
www.reclaimtheinternet.com/

Please, could you delete all unfounded comment designed to denigate an individual from this thread? Thanks

I have reported this comment so it is seen by MNHQ.

UKIP won 14% of the vote in England at the last GE and much of this was in traditional Labour areas in the NE. If we had a PR voting system, we would now have 83 UKIP MPs.

It is very very optimistic to think that - if we have a GE now - UKIP won't increase their share, on the wave of Referendum success and with Labour in chaos. This might not translate to a lot of UKIP MPs, but it would split the "anything but Tory" vote and could lose Labour many of its marginal seats.

I really cannot understand anyone pro-Remain wanting a GE now.

I also reported the original comment. Its libellous IMO and totally out of order.